


A Deatheater's Lament

by Eveilwoman



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-19
Updated: 2012-10-19
Packaged: 2017-11-12 10:32:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/489901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eveilwoman/pseuds/Eveilwoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Voldemort won the war, then gave Draco a gift, a bride, Ginny Weasley. She will be the mother to the next generation of Malfoys. Lucius must now deal with what he sees happening. How will this bride affect his life? Graphic scenes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer I don't own the world of Harry Potter. I make no money on the fiction!

A/N I don't own anything from the world of Potter it owns me!

Chapter One

A Death Eater's Lament

"You will marry Malfoy." As his master said the words Lucius believed it was Voldermort's cruel idea of a joke. A Weasley and a Malfoy? It was insane. But in the recent past he also realized just how insane Voldemort was. And now the insane man ruled the world. Lucius was smart enough to know not to defy him. The penalty would be great. He also understood what a blow this marriage would be to any remaining menbers of the Order of the Phoenix and any of their sympathizers The youngest Weasley, Harry Potter's great love, married to a Malfoy.

The final battle ended a couple of days before Voldemort killed Potter. The remaining pure bloods were grouped together and those who were of child bearing age were matched with loyal supporters. Great care had been taken to ensure each couple were not related. True, there was a connection between the Weasley and Malfoy families, but it was far enough back that it did not matter.

He watched as she was forced to take part in a marriage he knew she did not want. She held her head high, only her eyes revealed her true feelings. But she was smart, she knew better than to try to fight in a room surrounded by Death Eaters. He could not deny the fact that she was very attractive. She had grown into a very womanly body. He shook his head for wondering if her hair naturally fell in soft ringlets or if someone had styled it that way.

The wedding was simple. The vows were laughable. "You will do as your husband says. Your mind, your body, even your soul belongs to him. All that you have is his. Do you agree to this?" the Dark Lord explained. What choice does she have?, Lucius pondered.

Her eyes were brimming with tears of defeat, but none fell. She spoke barely above a whisper. "Yes."

Voldemort then looked at him. "Do you accept being in charge of all her rights?"

"Yes," Malfoy replied.

"It is done. You are now married," Voldemort concluded.

When the wedding finished, his thoughts were interrupted by his son. "Father, can we leave now?"

Lucius looked at the young man. "Looking forward to getting home to celebrate you marriage, Draco?"

Lucius watched as Ginevra gave a suppressed shudder, but said nothing.

"I don't know if that's the right word." Draco was holding Ginny's wrist. Lucius saw her wince as Draco squeezed it hard.

Lucius nodded, then headed for the exit of the Ministry.

"What about Mother?" Draco asked as he walked, not caring if his new bride could keep up as he dragged her along. She was at least ten inches shorter than Draco.

"You know your mother; she will be along once she's done," Lucius replied coldly. They then used the Floo network and arrived in Lucius' study. Draco finally dropped Ginny's hand, walked over to a table that held several crystal bottles, and poured himself a large drink. Lucius could tell he was gulping it all down at once. He then looked at the young girl in front of him. "Welcome to the family," he said mockingly. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen." She was keeping her eyes down, looking at the expensive rug. Lucius believed it was likely the most expensive thing she had ever seen. Lucius turned his attention back to Draco.

"Hopefully she's still pure, but with a family like hers, I doubt it." He watched for her reaction out of the corner his eye. She just stood there, not moving.

"Kenny! KENNY!" Draco yelled and a house elf appeared in the room.

"Yes, master Draco, yous called?"

"Take this up to my room and don't leave it alone." Draco indicated to Ginny as he gave his order to the elf. Lucius watched as the elf led Ginny out of the room. He noticed the natural sway of her hips. "What the hell am I going to do with that?" he asked his father.

Lucius looked at his son. "Draco, the Dark Lord has entrusted you with a great honor. Don't think for a second that she was chosen to be your wife by chance. The effect this news will have on the remaining Order members will be almost as bad as the death of Potter. I personally am looking forward to going to Azkaban tomorrow and telling her father and brothers the happy news."

Hours later Lucius walked out of his study. As he made his way to the stairs, he heard screams of someone clearly in pain. The sound grew louder as he went upstairs. Stuipd girl. If she had just relaxed and allowed it to happen, she would not have a reason to scream now. When Lucius reached his room he placed a charm on the room to block out the sound of his son's wedding night. While he readied himself for bed, he thought about how much he would enjoy telling Arthur Weasley about his little girl's husband.

The following morning, as Lucius enjoyed his breakfast of steak and eggs, Draco entered the room. Draco looked clean and refreshed and was wearing simple but expensive robes. "Good morning, Father," he said as he sat down.

"Draco, I realize you were enjoying your wedding night, but in the future do you think you could muffle your room?"

Draco swallowed his first sip of coffee. "Sorry, Father. I was a little occupied," he said without interest.

"Was she at least untouched?" Lucius asked.

"Thankfully, yes. I really wanted nothing to do with Potter's sloppy seconds. Personally, I think both Potter and Weasley were sharing the Mudblood." Lucius only smiled at his son. "To be honest I still don't want much to do with her."

Lucius looked at his son. "Draco, I spent the evening researching her family and surprisingly, for blood traitors, their blood lines are as clean as ours. You should be thankful for that at least."

"I don't want her and I never have. I wanted to marry Pansy," Draco whined.

"I'm only going to say this once: If you discount the fact of her family name, she most likely will be as fertile as the rest of her family. You and I both know that the Malfoys need several more branches on the family tree to save it from dying out. From a blood status, this is an excellent match"

"I'm not having children with that!" he stated disgustedly.

"Draco, you will do as the Dark Lord wishes." Draco did not reply; instead he got up and left the room.

As Lucius stepped into the room where Arthur Weasley and his remaining sons Bill and Charlie were, he smiled, feeling like Christmas had come early. "Well, well, well, it looks like the tables have turned! Tell me Arthur, how many times did you wish to see me in here?" Arthur did not reply; he just looked at the other man with complete hatred on his face. "Not so quick to speak this time, are you? It makes no matter. I came to tell you the wonderful news. My son has just been married."

"Why would we care?" Bill spat.

Lucius smiled smugly, "Oh yes, how forgetful of me. His bride is Ginevra Wea-"

"No!"Arthur and Bill both gasped.

"Poor little Ginny!" Charlie whispered.

This was just too enjoyable for Lucius, he could not help himself. "Oh yes, the Manor was filled with the sound of the two of them consumating their vows last night. I had to remind them to silence the room in the future. Now I must get going. It's such a nice day; I think I'll go riding." Lucius turned and left. After he closed the door, he did stop and listen.

"My little girl," Arthur said with pity in his voice.

"Dad, at least she's alive," Bill offered.

Charlie argued, "I think she would rather be dead. I don't believe that she enjoyed it as he insinuated."

Lucius left feeling that this was almost too easy.

Four days later, Lucius had returned from his daily ride and was heading to his room to freshen up. He noticed the door to Draco's room was ajar; the house elf must have left it that way. He stepped towards the door and as he peered in, his eyes fell on the floor in front of the bed. There on the floor, covered in something a house elf would wear, was Ginny. As he got closer he saw more than her hair and the shape of her body covered with what looked like a rag. Lucius mentally readied a snide comment for her. As he came closer, he saw there was not a spot on her face that was white; instead she was all black, blue and red. Of all the things he had seen in his life, few came close to comparing to this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A Death Eater's Lament

Lucius could not believe what he was seeing. He had seen some true horrors in his time, but this was sickening. While he could not see all of her small body, he was sure there was not a square inch that was not bruised or bloodied. Her breathing was shallow. He raised his wand and levitated her up on to the bed. "Rommy! Rommy!" he bellowed for a house elf, who appeared almost instantly.

The elf stood in fear of Lucius, "Yes, Master."

"The new Mrs Malfoy desperately needs some care. I want you to clean her up and heal her."

"Master Draco says none is to see to her needs." Lucius looked coldly at the elf.

"What else has he said?"

"Master Draco says that he no caring what happen to the – trash," the elf said, looking nervous.

"Where is Draco now?" Lucius asked as he looked back at Ginny's body.

"Master Draco went to see Miss Pansy," the elf replied.

"I am the real master of this home and I want her healed. You are to send Draco to see me as soon as he returns!" Lucius stormed out of the room.

Hours later Draco entered Lucius' study. "Father, I think we need to give Rommy clothing," he said as he walked over to the liquor service and poured himself a drink.

"Why is that?" Lucius asked.

"She directly disobeyed an order I gave her," Draco said as he lounged in a chair across from his father.

"Would that be the order to not help your wife?" Lucius said coldly.

Draco laughed, "Wife? Come on, Father! We both know that's the biggest joke ever! Really the only reason He decided that I should marry that thing was because I never killed Dumbledore. It's my punishment."

Lucius knew Draco did not want this marriage. Truthfully, Draco knew by the time he was ten that he wanted Pansy. "Draco, I implore you to try to make it work in the future. Voldemort will want you to be seen with your wife. Think about it; which would be better for us, if the Resistance sees her comfortable looking and somewhat happy or if they see her flinching every time you come close to her? Trust me, I know how those people think. If she seems unhappy, you will have made her a living martyr and someone to rally around."

"I have no intention of her living that long," Draco said before taking another sip of his Fire whiskey.

"DRACO, THINK! The Dark Lord will not be happy if you kill your bride."

"That's the beauty of my plan, see? For whatever reason she so far has not gone against me. If I continue the way I'm going she'll be dead in less than a month. The house elves have been told not to help her in any way. I told her not to leave the room for any reason. She thinks the door is locked, but if she got up and tried the door she would find she can leave the room. She's going to let herself die. She does not have the will to live."

Lucius could not believe what Draco was saying. She may be a blood traitor, but she was still pure blood. Draco just said she did not fight him. Had she accepted things or was she trying to cause a false sense of security? "Draco, based on what I saw she could not have moved five inches! This has to stop. I'm going back up there so I can speak to her alone. I suggest you think about what you're doing. Do you really think Pansy would think as much of you had she seen what I saw today? There are only two kinds of men who would do that to a woman. The first is a coward and the second is a monster. I don't believe you want Pansy viewing you as either." Lucius then got up from his seat behind his desk and headed back up to Draco's chambers.

When he reached the door he did not stop to knock; he just opened the door. He found Ginny sitting on the floor with her knees bent and her arms wrapped around her legs, her cheek resting on her knees. She was completely naked. However, between her hair and the position of her body he did not see any of her goods. "Girl, I realize you were raised in a barn, but I would suggest you wear clothing." She looked at him as if she was surprised to have him speak to her, but she said nothing. "It's proper manners to speak when spoken to."

She looked around with uncertainty in her eyes, then slowly spoke, "Draco said I'm not allowed to speak."

"Well as much as Draco may look like me, he is not me and I expect you to answer me when you're spoken to." He then closed the door, as if to assure her Draco was not around. "Now, would you put on some clothing."

"I'm not allowed any," she stated.

"What?"

"He said that clothing was something a tram- someone like me was not allowed to wear. I'm not worth the cost of them."

"Rommy." The house elf appeared. Before it could even speak Lucius ordered, "Go to my wife's room and get one of her simpler dresses." The elf vanished. "Draco needs some time to adjust to things. I'm sure you will find that the door to this room does open." The elf reappeared with a light blue sundress. "Give her the dress." The elf did as she was told. Lucius then turned around and spoke, "Put the dress on." He heard her shuffle around.

"It's on," she said.

He turned back. As he did Ginny fainted, falling and hitting her head. Lucius moved over to her and picked her up, noting she was feather light, then placed her on the bed. He looked at the elf. "When did she last eat?"

"We's not to give her anything unless she asks."

"And he told her she's not allowed to speak." Lucius now completely understood what Draco meant. "Go down to the kitchen and get her some light broth, a few crackers and some apple juice. Nothing too rich; we don't want her getting sick." Lucius was having a hard time believing his son could be so cruel.

Lucius was standing in front of his master. "Lucius, I need you to go to North America and become an ambassador of sorts for me. We have to get things under control over there before they have too much contact with the Resistance."

Lucius then kneeled to Voldemort. "Of course, my Lord." He then rose and left the room. He understood why he was chosen. He was more charismatic than most of the others, he was powerful and people tended to listen when he spoke. Lucius returned to the Manor to gather his things. As he passed Draco's chambers, he realized there were still matters to attend to in regards to his daughter-in-law. When he finished he summoned Draco to his study. "Draco, I will be gone for some time. I expect that when I return your wife will be alive, she will be getting food regularly, and she will own some clothing."


	3. Chapter 3

Lucius spent the next three months in North America establishing the new order for Voldemort. Once Great Britain had fallen, the rest of the world just about stepped in line. The new order was quite simple really; Voldemort was at the top, the Death Eaters were below him and they were the elite. Below them were pure bloods, who never join the rank of Death Eater, but support Voldemort and they were the privileged. Half bloods were under them, like the middle class. Then the mudbloods, who were the lower class, the slaves. The work he was doing was boring, to say the least.

Lucius knew there was another reason Voldemort had asked him to go. Voldemort had taken Narcissa as his sex partner. He guessed even for Voldemort it was easier if you did not have to face the man whose wife you were fucking. But now it was time to return. Lucius had to admit he missed his home, he missed Draco and he even missed his cheating wife. He had to wonder if she was still Voldemort's favourite.

Lucius knew he never loved her, at least not like a husband should love his wife. She was a good match when it was time for him to marry. Both families were pleased. She gave him an heir. She loved Draco. She was always there for him. But something was always missing. He truly did not care if she was balling every Death Eater, he just did not want the world to know about it.

He had to admit that over the last few months, he even found himself wondering about how Draco's wife was doing. He hoped that Draco had finally accepted the fact of what The Dark Lord needed of him. Was he at least treating her like a living being? He hoped so. Blood traitors her family may have been, but they did have strength to them. Lucius did realize just what she could do for the Malfoy line. And whether Draco realized it or not, she would look very stunning on his arm. She was much prettier than Pansy.

When he arrived home, Paul, one of the few human servants, met him at the door. Paul was tall and thin with a frame that would best be described as light. "Master Malfoy. It's good to have you home."

"Where are the others?" Lucius asked.

"Both Master Draco and your wife are out for the day."

Lucius looked at the man, wondering why there was no mention of Draco's wife. "And the other Mrs. Malfoy?"

Paul looked down at the floor, then back to Lucius. "She is as always in her room."

"Thank you, Paul. See that my things get to my room." Lucius stopped in this study to check on a few things. An hour later, he headed up to his room. As he passed Draco's quarters, something made him moved to the door and lightly knocked; there was no reply so he decided to enter the room. This time as he opened it, he saw Ginny laying on the floor next to the fireplace. She looked worse than she had the first time he found her in Draco's room. Along with open wounds and bruising, there were burn marks from the fire poker. He rushed to her, and as he reached out to touch her, she involuntarily recoiled. She could not see for her eyes were swollen shut, and her arm was at an unnatural position. She whimpered in what he was sure was fear. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly as he bent down and picked her up. As he looked around the room, he saw that the bed was bloody. He did not want to place her there so he took her to another room and gently laid her on the bed.

He took an inventory of her condition. "What happened?" he whispered. She very slowly shook her head. He then saw a couple of tears leak out from under the swelling. He did a spell that took down the swelling. Once he did that he went to the bathroom and got a small basin of water and a couple of wash cloths. As he did, he realized he was doing this himself because he somehow felt responsible. He came back and set the basin down and sat next to her. "Before I can heal you I need to clean the wounds." He dipped the cloth into the water and wrung it out. Before beginning he spoke again, "This will sting. I'm sorry." As he cleaned the wounds he knew how much it must have been stinging, but she did not say a word. After a couple of minutes he asked, "Why did he do this?" She only looked down into her hands. "Has this been happening a lot?" She only closed her eyes. He got up and went into the bathroom to replace the water, which was already red. Once he returned he spoke again, "Ginevra, I told you before, I expect you to speak when I ask you a question." She looked at him and nodded. "Has this been happening a lot?"

"Yes, but please don't ask me about it," she spoke, her voice hardly above a whisper.

As he wrung the wash cloth out again, he asked. "What did you do to bring it on?"

She looked hatefully at him. "Nothing, - nothing. I don't know why," she stammered.

Lucius found it hard to believe. "I'm going to put you to sleep while I repair the damage." He raised his wand and muttered the spell that put her to sleep. He had to know, and he knew a form of Legillimency that would show him the most recent events:

He was in her and Draco's room. She had several bruises already, and she was naked. Then the door opened and Draco entered the room. He eyed her up and down, his face was hard. As he moved around the room changing his clothing, he spoke, "We're having guests tonight. I can't have you looking like that. Come here and I will take care of those." Lucius noticed surprise on Ginny's face, but she quickly came to where Draco was. He healed her wounds without any care. When he finished, he went to the large walk-in closet to pick out something. He returned and threw a red garment at her. "Wear that." As Ginny took the clothing and put it on, he said, "Same rules as always. If you speak, you will not like what will happen. You will do what you are told without hesitation. And I don't want to see tears. Do I make myself clear?" Ginny nodded. Lucius looked at the garment she was wearing. He had seen balls of string with more material in them than this. Draco looked at his wife once more. "Relax, you'll like what's going to happen tonight." Lucius already very much doubted it.

Ginny was then led down to the games room where Gregory, Vincent and Theodore were. Once they entered the room the men leered at Ginny. "Remain right here," Draco ordered. He and his friends then had a few drinks. Then Draco spoke to Ginny, "I'm going to leave you with these friends of mine. Remember the rules, and make sure they're satisfied." Draco then walked out of the room. Lucius watched as Ginny was gang raped for several hours. The things Lucius witnessed them to do her were sickening.

Once they were done Ginny could hardly move, but she was forced back to Draco's room. There he was reading a book. As the house elf closed the door behind Ginny, Draco snapped the book in his hands closed and got up. "I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you?" Lucius could tell she was trying to figure out how to answer that. Draco then punched her in the face, which knocked her off balance. Once she fell on the floor Draco straddled her and used her as a punching bag. The whole time he was telling her what a little whore she was, how it was wrong for her to allow them to do that to her, how he had to punish her for her behaviour, and how if she would only do as she was told he would not have to hurt her. By the time Draco grabbed the fire poker and placed it in the fire, Lucius had seen enough. He pulled out of her mind.

He then carefully healed her, the whole time wondering what had happened to his son. When did he become so cruel? Once he finished healing her, he noticed how thin she was. He ordered food for Ginevra. When the house elf brought it, Lucius was disgusted at the moldy single slice of bread the elf brought for her. "What is this garbage?"

"Master Draco says that's all we can give her. He says if she really hungry she will eat it."

"I would not even touch that, never mind eat it! Bring her some vegetable soup, some crackers with cheese, and some clear juice." After the elf vanished, Lucius went to the bathroom and retrieved the bathrobe which hung there. When he returned he woke Ginny up and held out the robe for her to take. She looked doubtfully at him. "What?" he asked.

"Draco will be mad."

"I'll deal with him. Ginevra, I looked at your memory of this last time and the events that led up to it. Has that happened before?"

"Why?"

"I want to know what has been happening while I have been gone."

"Draco's a good husband," Ginny replied.

Lucius was shocked by her reply. Then he realized it. "I'm not trying to get you to say something bad about him so that you can be further punished. I know you have no reason to believe me, but why would I heal you just to hurt you again?"

"Draco does," she retorted. Then realizing what she said, she clamped her hand over her mouth.

"I will not punish you for speaking the truth. How often has that happened, last night I mean?"

She looked doubtful of him. "That was the first time."

"Do you have clothing?"

"One t-shirt."

"Nothing else?" He was getting annoyed.

"Draco says I'm not worth the time to remove clothing." She would not meet his eyes.

"I would appreciate you looking me in the eye when you speak to me. And how often are you fed?"

"Once – once every three days if he remembers to tell the staff to feed me." The house elf reappeared with a bed tray for Ginny.

The elf placed it across her lap. "Eat," Lucius ordered. He saw her hesitate before she reacted. "There's nothing wrong with it." To prove his point he transfigured a napkin into a spoon and tasted the soup himself. "See? I'll eat it."

"Why?" she timidly asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you being kind to me?"

He thought about his answer. "Because you're a living being. Because you will one day be the mother of the next generation of Malfoys. As long as you behave you need not fear me. In fact, you can trust me."

She looked doubtfully at him. "Eat," he repeated.

As she took the first spoonful of soup he could tell by the look on her face that, to her, it tasted like the best thing she ever ate. After she swallowed she looked at him, "Thank you."

Lucius was not happy with Draco; he would deal with his son when he returned. Later that evening Lucius sat in his study trying to understand where Draco was coming from. Draco never saw Lucius treat a woman like that. Yes, over the years he and Narcissa fought and each had hit the other, but it was only ever hard enough to leave a red mark. Lucius never bruised her, he never left her bleeding, and most definitely, he never broke her limbs.

There was a knock on the door, then Draco poked his head in the room. "Father, Paul said you were back and you wanted to see me."

"Yes, Draco. Come in."

"How was North America?" Draco asked as he walked over to the liquor service.

"Draco, I don't think you need any of that. Sit down." Lucius' voice was like ice. Draco took a seat.

"I saw your wife today."

"I told the little slut not to disturb anyone," Draco said dryly.

"She did not. Draco, I'm growing tired of this behavior," he said wearily

"It's my property and I can do with it as I see fit."

"Ginevra is your wife, whether you are happy about it or not." Lucius got up from his seat and began to pace the room. "You cannot treat her the way you have been."

"I'll treat it like the trash it is," he replied.

"Draco, she will be the mother of your children. They should not see that their mother fears their father."

"I will not have children with that!"

"Yes you will, because I will not acknowledge any that are illegitimate. Now, I know I can't stop you from doing as you wish. However, I have a few new rules and if you want to inherit the family fortune you will adhere to the rules. The first is that I will see Ginevra each morning at breakfast and again at dinner. Fully clothed. The second is that any official functions you go to, your wife will be with you unless I agree she is in no condition to attend. And lastly, I never want to see a single mark on her of any kind."

Draco looked ready to kill. Lucius however knew Draco feared him too much to try anything. "Why do you care? It's nothing but a pathetic little Weasley."

"Draco! For three months now, she has been a Malfoy. It's time you begin to treat her as one. No living being deserves to be treated like that and even more so when they were clearly trying do what was asked of them."

The next day Ginny did not come down to breakfast. Narcissa was not home. "Draco, I believe I said Ginevra was to be down for breakfast."

"Yes, but you also said fully clothed. Well, I did not have time to get it any clothing last night," Draco spat.

"Never mind; I will see to it myself. I saw what you call clothing for her. Get out of my sight before I do something you won't like."

After Lucius finished breakfast he headed up to Draco's room, but before he got there he stopped in his wife's room and took a simple dress out for Ginny to wear. He knocked and once more got no answer. "Ginevra, it's Lucius. May I come in?"

"Um, hang on." Then a second or two later, "Come in." When Lucius opened the door, Ginny was standing in the center of the room with a white sheet wrapped around her small frame. She once again was bruised, she had a black eye and her wrists had purple finger marks on them.

"Sit down. I'll take care of those for you."

"Please, don't." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Why?"

"I think it makes him happy to see what he has done to me. He was very upset last night," she explained.

"Beginning today, things will change. They should be better," he offered. She nodded, then sat down on the bed. Lucius took his wand out of his cane and healed her eye and then her wrists. "Go to the bathroom and put this on." He handed her the dress. As she rose, he saw an open gash on her shoulder. "Wait, I missed one." He rose and looked closer at it. "I should clean it first." He went to the bathroom and got a wet washcloth. He indicated to the bed. "Sit again." She did so with her back towards him. He sat nearer to her, he then moved her hair over her other shoulder and gently began to dab at it. He expected her to jerk away; instead, she turned her head towards him. Her green eyes met his grey eyes, he felt as if she was looking into his soul.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded. "I'm going to take you down to Diagon Alley for some clothing. Can I trust you to behave?"

"Yes."

"Good." He raised his wand and closed the gash.

Lucius did not really want to go shopping, however he was sure if he left it to Draco it would never happen. He also wished that Narcissa was around, she would be the better choice to do this. The staff had informed him that she had not been home the whole time he was gone. Two hours later he had picked several outfits for Ginny. He was very surprised at just how well she was behaving. So much so, he felt she deserved a reward. "Ginevra, you will need a formal dress for an event later this month. Would you like to pick it?"

She looked very surprised, they had seen a few when they first entered this shop. She then lowered her head. "No thank you. I would not know what is appropriate."

He considered her for a minute. "Why don't you point out what you like and if it's not appropriate, you can choose something else." She slowly nodded. They were then shown several dresses before Ginny saw one she liked.

"I like that one."

Lucius looked at the dress. It was very nice and he believed it would look good on her. "What color do you want it in?"

"Blue. Sapphire blue," she responded quietly.

He paid for the purchases, then led Ginny out to the Apparition point. She stopped in front of number 93, Diagon Alley. Ginny looked at it for a long moment. Lucius watched her, he then looked at the shop which sold dishes and other household items. He could not fathom why she stopped here.

"What is it, Ginevra?"

She looked at him and then shook her head. "Nothing, I'm sorry. We can go now." As they continued on Lucius did not miss the fact that she looked back at the shop again.

That night at dinner, Lucius noticed how Draco did not look at Ginny even once. He spoke only to Lucius. Ginny kept quiet, not making a sound, almost as if she was afraid of drawing any attention to herself. Once the main course was over, Draco sneered at her. "Go to my room." Ginny silently got up and started to leave the room.

"Good night, Ginevra."

She looked at him and then at Draco. Her eyes were full of fear. Lucius nodded at her. "Good night, Lucius."

"I don't recall saying you could speak!" Draco yelled.

Lucius looked at him and then at Ginevra, whose whole body was now tense. "Draco, as lord and master of this home I expect to be verbally acknowledged when I speak to someone and I have told your wife that. She is doing as she was told."

Over the next three weeks Ginny came down each morning for breakfast and each evening for dinner. She was always quiet. She never even allowed her cutlery to make a sound. She only spoke when spoken to. Lucius did not miss the fact that he was the only one who spoke to her. Then one evening after dinner, Rabastan Lestrange arrived at the Manor. "Lucius, I need to speak to you."

Once they were in Lucius' study, Rabastan refused the drink he was offered. Once Lucius sat down, Rabastan looked at him. "Lucius, I'm sorry yo tell you, but Bellatrix found out about her sister and The Dark Lord and she was not happy. Our dear sister-in-law killed Narcissa, then the Dark Lord killed Bellatrix. I'm sorry about Narcissa."

"Thank you for telling me." The other man then left. Lucius was sorry about the fact that Narcissa was gone, but he was not heartbroken. She and he had been over for a long time. Lucius did tell Draco the news that evening and Draco seemed reasonably upset.

A little over a month later, Lucius had been out riding. As he came closer to the house, he glanced up at the windows on the second floor. He saw Ginny; she was covered with a towel and looking out the window. It was in that moment that he realized he never saw her outside of that room other than at meals since their trip to Diagon Alley. He took his stallion back to the barn, then headed inside and up to his chambers for a shower. After he was clean and changed, he headed for Ginevra and Draco's chambers. He did not bother to knock; he knew she would not reply to the knock anyway. Instead he called, "Ginevra, may I speak with you?"

"Just give me a moment." He could hear rustling around, then after a few minutes she opened the door. "Yes?"

He smiled at her. "What took so long?" he casually asked, then he saw the panicked look on her face. "You're not in trouble, I simply wondered."

"I was not dressed." She still only glanced at his eyes.

"Why not?" She moved away from the door. Lucius followed her in.

"Draco says I'm only to wear clothing if you're around."

Lucius could only nod. He did not know what to say to a young girl after a comment like that. After a few moments he looked around the room. If it weren't for the fact that she was standing in front of him, there would be no clue she lived in the room. He asked, "What is it you do in here all day?"

She looked surprised. "I just think, I guess."

"You think? What do you think about?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, anything." She suddenly seemed very sad.

"Do you enjoy reading?" he asked. He could not imagine sitting in one room day after day doing nothing.

"Yeah I guess. It depends on the book. I don't think I could ever look at a History of Magic book again."

Lucius laughed: he too had to suffer through History of Magic with Professor Binns, so he understood her comment. "How is it that you can joke in light of what your life has become?" Lucius knew that Draco's treatment of her had not changed, but at least Draco had to heal her each day now.

"If I didn't try, I might have gone crazy."

"Come on," he said to her.

"Lucius, I can't. Draco will get upset," she said and shook her head.

"I will deal with him." He grabbed her hand and led her downstairs to the library. "When Draco's not here, you are free to spend as much time in here as you want." He watched as she pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. She then turned away from him. Her shoulders began to shake. "What is it, Ginevra?" He reached out and gently pulled her around so she was facing him again.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Don't think I'm not grateful, but why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because what has happened to you is not right. Because I know if I'm kind to you, you will be less likely to harm yourself, or any children you may have. Because of the unkindness you have received. I'm still my selfish self. But the question goes both ways; why have you been so accepting of things?"

She tried to turn away again, but he stopped her. "What good would it do if I fought? What is happening to me is going to happen, one way or another. I don't think it will be any easier if I fought or cried. And there's not just me; I know that my father and my oldest brothers are still in Azkaban, and I would not want them hurt because of my actions."

He considered what she said. "You're amazing, do you know that? Ginevra, I've seen what Draco has done to you and you're willing to continue to suffer like that, just to keep them-"

"Alive, you can say it. I'm not amazing, I'm selfish. I'm sure they would rather die than go through what they're going through, but I need the hope that maybe I'll see them again." She started crying and once more tried to turn around. Lucius stopped her and gently placed his arms around her.

"It's okay to cry, I think you have more than earned it." He wasn't sure when or how it happened, but she had wrapped her arms around him as she continued to cry and he continued to hold her.


End file.
